Assembled at the Chakan facility, near Pune, India, the diminutive Volkswagen Ameo is based on the Volkswagen Polo’s PQ25 platform. In fact, up to the B-pillar, the Volkswagen Ameo is the same as the Volkswagen Polo hatchback. Why is this little car significant to Volkswagen fans in the United States? There is a huge Volkswagen fan-base that wants the Polo to come to North America. The Volkswagen Ameo should appeal to a few VW Polo fanboys.
Equipped with a 3-cylinder, 1.2-liter, 74 (bhp) gas that makes approximately 81 pound-feet of torque, the gas model has a five-speed manual transmission standard. The 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder TDI diesel engine comes with a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission. While the TDI’s output numbers have yet to be officially released, it is expected to make around 88 horsepower and approximately 170 pounds-feet of torque.
Volkswagen states that the Ameo — when compared with the competition — will have higher quality components, higher levels of safety and a higher-end overall feel. Considering the well received Volkswagen Polo, there is no reason to expect the VW Ameo to be anything less than a success.
So, would we be happy to drive one of these vehicles on this side of the planet? Why not? The tiny car segment in North America is, well – tiny. There are only a handful of automakers selling cars under four meters/yards long. Who knows?
Prices are expected to start at 550,000.00 INR (about $8,250) to 800,000.00 INR which is about $12,000.00. While that is remarkably inexpensive from our perspective, it’s pretty pricey in India. Basic Indian The Polaris/Eicher Motors Multix Mini Truck like the Tata Nano and for the Mahindra KUV100 run between (approximately) $3,000 and $7,000.
Speaking of small cars in the United States…
In India, the Volkswagen Ameo is currently traveling to 17 cities as it is officially released.
Those cities and dates:
Pune
12th May, Thursday
Surat
14th May – Saturday
Ahmedabad
16th May – Monday
Nagpur
18th May – Wednesday
Delhi
20th May – Friday
Ludhiana
22nd May – Sunday
Jaipur
24th May – Tuesday
Chandigarh
24th May – Tuesday
Lucknow
29th May – Sunday
Kolkata
4th June – Saturday
Bhubaneswar
7th June – Tuesday
Hyderabad
12th June – Sunday
Chennai
16th June – Thursday
Bangalore
19th June – Sunday
Coimbatore
22nd June -Wednesday
Cochin
24th June – Friday
Mumbai
2nd July – Saturday